The present invention relates to a snowshoe and, more particularly, to a length-adjustable snowshoe in which a contact area between the snowshoe and the snow can be adjusted to allow easy walking on the snow and preventing the foot of the wearer wearing the snowshoe from sinking into the snow.
Snowshoes can increase the contact area with the ground covered with snow, preventing the feet of the wearer from sinking into the snow and helping the wearer to walk on the snow. Conventional snowshoes generally include a bottom board, a step board mounted on the bottom board, a plurality of fastening straps mounted on the step board, and at least one toothed portion located below the step board. The bottom board is a steel tube bent into an elliptic shape and covered by a plastic plate. The bottom board has an area much larger than that of a shoe worn by the wearer of the snowshoe to increase the contact area with the snow, distributing the pressure on the snow and preventing the foot of the wearer from sinking into the snow. The wearer can wear an ordinary shoe and step on the step board. The shoe is fixed on the snowshoe by the fastening straps, securely engaging the snowshoe with the foot of the wear. The toothed portion on the step board can pierce into the snow covered ground to increase the ground catching capability of the snowshoe. Thus, the wearer can walk easily on the snow.
However, walking on the snow will become difficult if the bottom board has an excessive contact area with the snow. Thus, manufacturers produce snowshoes of differing sizes for users of differing foot sizes and differing weights. Furthermore, a user walking on soft snow will have to wear a snowshoe of a size larger than that for walking on hard snow. Conventional snowshoes are not adjustable and, thus, not convenient to the users.
Thus, a need exists for an adjustable snowshoe that can be adjusted according to differing situations and to differing users having differing foot sizes while reducing the manufacturing costs.